In a brazen act of vandalism, two Australian tourists tore down a pro-Palestinian mural in Kerala’s Fort Kochi on Tuesday, April 16. The mural, which read ‘Silence is Violence, Stand up for Humanity’ was installed during the Cochin Carnival in December 2023. Upon seeing the mural being torn down, the youth in the vicinity confronted the women who allegedly claimed that they tore it down "for the Jewish people."
Based on a complaint from Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) area secretary Muhammed Azeem KS, Kerala police have registered a case against the tourists.
Visuals obtained from a CCTV camera in the vicinity shows one of the two women clicking a picture of the mural. Shortly after, the duo proceeds to tear down the mural. In the footage, one woman tears down the mural while the other woman captures the video on her mobile phone. After one person standing along the road questions the act, the footage shows a group of people joining him. A video of the confrontation has gone viral on social media. In the video, one of the tourists could be heard arguing with a person and stating that “You are promoting propaganda and lies.” She could also be heard saying, "You guys make tourist money. You guys make money off Jewish people. But there's no Jews here, isn't that funny? I did it for the Jewish people."
Kochi has a small Jewish population of 25 persons. Jews are believed to have come to the Kerala coast either to escape persecution or to establish trade links. Historians say that Jews were sighted on the Malabar Coast as early as 1167.
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According to the complaint, the tourists destroyed the murals and spoke in a derogatory manner against the youth for standing with Palestine. The complaint said they intended to destroy the peace in the society. “We affixed the murals near the Jankar jetty against the genocide that Israel is perpetrating against the Palestinians. We put up the murals using our democratic rights. But last night, two women tourists vandalised the murals and spoke against those supporting Palestine. They vandalised the murals with intention to destroy the peaceful atmosphere in the society,” the complaint read.
SIO city president Fuaad told TNM that the murals were installed during the Cochin Carnival in the last week of December. “The murals gained international attention. When people saw the murals being destroyed, they tried to stop them. We came to know about this a little later. The police were not ready to register the case in the beginning and we staged a protest. Then around 12.30 am on Wednesday, the police registered a case,” he added.
The First Information Report (FIR) however does not mention any names. Fort Kochi police have booked the women under section 153 (malignantly, or wantonly by doing anything illegal) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
It is estimated that over 30,000 people have died since Israel’s attack against Palestine on October 7, 2023. In the last 24 hours alone, at least 40 people have been reportedly killed following Israeli strikes on a playground and refugee camp in Gaza. After Israel attacked the Iranian consulate in Syria’s Damascus, Iran carried out a “military action” against Israel and warned of further escalation if the United States intervenes in the conflict. It is to be noted that contrary to propagandist narratives, criticism of Israel’s war and occupation is not anti-Semitism and does not indicate hate towards Jews at large.
Editor's Note: Initially, the woman was believed to be from Austria, we have edited the report.